


a little favor

by odetoptg



Category: Pentagon (Korea Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:27:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26982154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/odetoptg/pseuds/odetoptg
Summary: most people are lonely because of other people not wanting to hang out with them. most people don't like to be lonely and want to hang out with someone, their friends or family, just anyone. then we have jo jinho. he always liked being alone. he liked to be by himself and he never wanted to hang out with anyone hardly ever. he went to work, came home, wrote music and poems and whatever else he wanted to do, and he never once thought about anyone else. that was until he met ko shinwon, and something in him sparked.
Relationships: Jo Jinho | Jino/Ko Shinwon
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	a little favor

* * *

Fridays were always typical with Jinho. He worked at the local coffee shop down the street, right across from the college he graduated from just five years earlier during the day. Then, he would go home and get ready for his second job, working as a bartender in one of the bars that mostly college students ravaged at night, especially on Fridays and Saturdays. Once he got off from there, usually around two or three in the morning, he would go home and write a couple lyrics for his songs, maybe a melody or two, and then go to sleep. He lived a pretty boring life at the age of twenty six, but he didn’t care. He felt that he was already too old to go out and make friends or do anything. Besides, he enjoyed his time that he spent alone. He had always liked being by himself and he would much rather be alone than surrounded by other people. He was a quiet guy, and he didn’t make friends easily. He just didn’t get along with other people the way people wanted him too. He kept his thoughts to himself. He kept to himself, not wanting to let people in. He knew that it wasn’t right, and his one true friend always told him that he needed to be more open. His best friend Yang Hongseok, a boy younger than he was, but much taller, more attractive, and definitely stronger than he was, could only be described as a social butterfly. He had so many friends, some of which may not have been his true friends, but Jinho never said anything in fear of upsetting his friend. Hongseok had tried to get him to go out with him sometimes on the weekends so that he could mingle with some of Hongseok’s friends, but he always turned his offers down. He much preferred just hanging out with Hongseok when he was free and playing video games or watching movies.    
  
This Friday, though, Jinho had a thought. He had a bit of a change of heart. He texted Hongseok, asking him what plans he had that night. Hongseok answered almost right away and told him that he had a party that his presence was needed. Jinho rolled his eyes at his friend’s dramatics. Jinho hesitated as he debated on the text he wanted to send. He knew that he wanted to go out tonight, but going to a party with Hongseok might not have been his best move. That was a lot of people at once. Maybe he could go to a smaller gathering with him another time. He shook the thoughts away and sighed, sending the text, asking his friend if he could accompany him to the party. Hongseok laughed at the text and agreed, telling him that he could come as long as he didn’t talk like someone’s father to the people there. Jinho rolled his eyes at the younger boy's comment, but smiled nonetheless. Even though they had somewhat of an age gap, Jinho being twenty six and Hongseok being twenty four, he still thought highly of him and he appreciated their friendship. Hongseok told him what time he would be there to pick him up, and told him to get ready, to dress like “a cool kid”. Jinho laughed at that, shaking his head once more. Jinho wasn’t cool, nor was he a kid, so how was he supposed to dress? He supposed he would just dress like Hongseok did every so often to try and fit in. Even if he did look the part, he would still stick out like a sore thumb. He sighed to himself, but shook his head to try and get out of his head about it. He needed to go out and have a good time. Maybe Hongseok was right. Sure he was busy most of the time, but he needed to go out and make more friends. He needed to get out before he got “too old” as he told himself. He took a shower and got dressed, putting on a pair of jeans and a plain shirt, feeling out of his element, but figuring he looked fine.    
  
About an hour later, Hongseok showed up, just bursting into Jinho’s house like he owned the place, scaring Jinho who was in the kitchen drinking some water.    
“Yoo hoo old man, anyone home?” Hongseok laughed, following the sound of Jinho’s choking to the kitchen. Jinho wiped his mouth and rolled his eyes.    
“You’re so annoying.” The older boy laughed and looked at him.    
“Yeah I know, but you still like me.” Hongseok smiled, leaning against the counter and looking down at his shorter friend.    
“Barely.” Jinho joked before smiling at him, closing his refrigerator.    
“Anyways, are you ready to go? I don’t wanna rush you but I’m kind of the main character of this party so it would look bad if I was late, you know?” Hongseok smirked, almost proudly at himself being the spotlight.    
“Yeah I’m ready. Besides, what makes you so special to be the main character at this party, huh?” Jinho asked with a slight grin on his face, joking with his younger friend.    
“I’ll tell you in the car, c’mon old man.” Hongseok laughed, grabbing his hand and walking out to his car.    
Both the men got into the car and Hongseok began to drive after turning on his playlist.    
“So, are you going to let me in on why you’re the person of honor at this party, Seok?” Jinho asked over the loud music that was blasting through the speakers. Hongseok laughed loudly and looked over at him, shaking his head.    
“Well you see, I got the most people to join that fraternity that I was in before I graduated so the guys are throwing me a party, not to brag or anything, but everyone is there for me.” Hongseok laughed loudly and nudged Jinho lightly.    
“Makes sense, I suppose. Congratulations.” Jinho shook his head and just smiled at his friend for a moment.    
The music soon overtook the conversation and they both sat in the car, singing to themselves instead of talking to one another.    
  
They got to the place of the party, and Jinho wasn’t expecting it. Hongseok pulled up to an empty field, a large bonfire already burning brightly throughout the field, lighting up the daylit sky. It was quite the sight, and this wasn’t what Jinho thought would happen at all.    
“A field party, huh?” He asked a bit nervously and Hongseok smiled as he parked the car, stepping out and walking over to his friend, slapping his arm around his shoulders.    
“Yeah, is there something wrong with it?” He asked genuinely, not wanting Jinho to be uncomfortable.    
“No, no. Just not what I was expecting.” He cleared his throat and followed Hongseok to wherever he brought him.    
  
Jinho looked around the scene in front of him and took it all in. There were a lot more people than he thought there were going to be, especially at a party such as this one. He didn’t think people his age even had bonfire parties anymore, but then again, a lot of these people looked younger than him, so it made somewhat sense. He shook the thoughts away, following behind Hongseok as closely as he could, trying to be polite as he passed through the other people. It took a second for them to get to wherever they were going, but they finally got to a group of men who looked closer to Hongseok’s age than Jinho’s, not that there was a huge difference between the two. Everyone greeted Hongseok as soon as they saw him, spurs of “bros” and “king” and “legend” were just some of the words that the frat boys said to him. Jinho was only assuming they were frat boys, but considering they were so close to Hongseok and this party was thrown because of something to do with a frat, Jinho’s assumption was probably correct. He was in his head about it, that he didn’t notice himself staring off. Instead of staring off at anything specific, he was staring right at one of the men. And when I say right at him, he was looking right at his face since the man was sitting on the back of a truck bed.    
  
The man cleared his throat and smiled at the shorter boy as he stared him down.    
“Do I have something on my face?” The boy had a bit of a high voice, which Jinho wasn’t expecting because of his height.    
“O-Oh no, sorry, I kind of blanked out for a second.” Jinho laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck, and looking down at his feet.    
“That’s okay, thought maybe I had a bug on my cheek or something.” The sandy brown haired mystery man hopped down off the back of the truck, not far off the ground though. He was at least six foot tall. He smiled at Jinho, a bit of a grin at how short the other boy was.    
“I’m Shinwon.” He stuck out his hand, which Jinho quickly shook and nodded.    
“I’m Jinho, nice to meet you.” He smiled, taking note of how big the other’s hand was, and how  _ soft  _ his hands were. It was the softest hand he had  _ ever felt.  _ He tried not to get too lost in the feeling, because as soon as he relished in it, the other dropped his hand to his side.    
“So have you been friends with Hongseok long?” He asked, smiling softly. “I haven’t seen you around hardly at all.” Jinho nodded, letting out a soft chuckle.    
“I’ve been friends with him for about three years now, I met him when he first got here.”    
Shinwon raised his eyebrows a bit and nodded.    
“Really? I’ve been friends with him almost as long, but you’ve never been around.”    
  
Jinho took in a breath, realizing just how boring he was and how he never got out. He had so many opportunities, especially with a friend like Hongseok the social butterfly, to make friends, but he never took them until now. He was starting to feel slightly self conscious and he could feel his hands getting clammy. Shinwon took notice of this almost immediately, and even though he barely knew the other, he cleared his throat. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable or anything.” The younger quickly apologized, sincerity seeping through his voice.    
Jinho quickly shook his head and gave Shinwon a smile.    
“You didn’t make me uncomfortable, I just.. I guess I realized I don’t get out much.” Jinho laughed awkwardly and Shinwon nodded back.    
“Ah I see.” Shinwon smiled and nudged him gently, “Don’t worry about it, I was pretty antisocial when I was in high school, but I figured that college would be my chance to spread my wings, be a social butterfly. It was hard at first, it took a lot of coaxing from that guy,” He motioned to Hongseok, “And here I am.” He looked down at Jinho for a moment with a sincere smile.    
Jinho nodded and smiled a bit at Hongseok.    
“I’ve just always liked to stay by myself, it’s easier that way and I can do what I want to without anyone criticizing me. Plus, I don’t think I’m very fun to be around.” Jinho said honestly, not sure why he was so ready to confess that to a total stranger, but something about Shinwon made him feel like he could.    
  
Shinwon pondered on what Jinho said for a moment, kind of staring at him for a while. He was trying to think of the best thing to say without it coming off wrong, or coming off like Shinwon telling him what to do.    
  
“You know, I know that Hongseok is your friend and all, and he is friends with everyone, but maybe you should start smaller. I mean, that is if you want to.” Shinwon knew that was probably confusing, and by the look on Jinho’s face, he knew that he should probably elaborate.    
  
“That doesn’t really make a lot of sense.” Shinwon laughed softly and tried to explain what he meant in a clearer manner. “What I mean is, if you wanted to make more friends, be more social and get out a little more, start with a small group of people, maybe even just one different person. There’s a lot of people here and I am sure that is a lot to handle at once. Maybe you should start with one or two people and go from there, you know?” Shinwon shrugged, looking at Jinho to catch his reaction. He looked to be pondering on it and he nodded slowly.    
  
“Maybe that’s a good idea. I’ve never really thought about it like that. It’s just hard for me to put myself out there.” Jinho explains, shrugging and sighing. “But maybe you’re right.” He gave Shinwon a smile, and he reciprocated it right back.    
  
“Do you like music?” Jinho asked out of the blue, instantly getting a bit red in the cheeks. Shinwon laughed when he noticed, seeing how embarrassed Jinho got. He nodded nonetheless, and smiled.    
“I do like music, I don’t know a lot about writing it or anything, but I’m into various genres, I like to sing every so often, but usually just to myself.” Jinho smiled at that.    
“I like to write music. I write a lot of songs in my free time.” He explains, sliding his hands into his pockets.    
“Oh really? Maybe I can hear them sometime!” Shinwon smiled fondly, almost sounding excited like he looked forward to it. Jinho wasn’t used to that kind of enthusiasm and he wasn’t used to people actually seeming to want to hang out with him.    
“That would be fine with me.” Jinho said a bit shyly.    
  
Before Shinwon could say anything else, someone called his name from the front of the truck. Shinwon sighed and waved a hand to tell whoever it was one second. He turned his attention back to Jinho and smiled a bit sadly.    
“Sorry to cut things so short, but I have to go help them with something. Uhm, I’ll see you around?” He asks a bit awkwardly and Jinho smiles, nodding.    
“I’m sure I’ll see you soon.” He waved to him and sighed softly as the taller boy disappeared into the field with another group of guys.    
  
Jinho gravitated himself back towards Hongseok once Shinwon had left and he smiled to himself that he actually had a decent conversation with someone. Jinho was so used to staying to himself that he didn’t know if he could have a whole conversation with someone. It wasn’t just boring with the hi how are you conversation either. It felt natural to talk to Shinwon, this guy he barely knew. He didn’t know what it was that made him so easy going with him, but he was glad that was who he talked to tonight instead of someone drunk or rude. Hongseok noticed he had come back and introduced him to three other guys that he had been talking to. There was Wooseok, who looked as tall as a building to Jinho, Hyunggu who looked very soft and sweet, and Yuto who looked intimidating in a sense, but smiled at Jinho like he had known him his whole life. They all talked for a little while, Jinho staying quiet per usual, only perking up when someone spoke to him.    
  
It had been two or three hours, it had gotten dark and the bonfire was still burning so bright and raging into the sky it seemed. Most of the guys that Hongseok had introduced to Jinho too were two sheets in the wind, drunker than drunk and weren’t being coherent. Jinho didn’t like alcohol too much, which was ironic that he was a bartender, and he started to feel a bit uncomfortable. He didn’t want to be a buzzkill and tell Hongseok he was leaving, but he decided he’d walk to the main road and try to call a cab.    
  
“Hey Seok, I think I’m gonna head back home. I have to work in the morning.” Hongseok turned and looked at Jinho, sighing a bit.    
“You barely even talked to anyone!” Jinho could tell that he wasn’t completely drunk yet, but he was getting there pretty quickly.    
“Yeah I know, maybe next time. But be careful please, please be responsible. I’m just gonna catch a cab-” Hongseok shook his head and dug his keys out of his pocket.    
“No, here. Take my car. Wooseok can take me home, he isn’t legal yet.” He laughed and shrugged. Jinho sighed a bit and nodded.    
“Alright, be safe. I’ll see you later.” Jinho hugged the younger boy and walked to the car.    
  
He started the drive back to his apartment, and sighed a bit to himself. He had music playing throughout the car to try and keep himself out of his head and to keep himself awake. He had worked that morning, so he was pretty tired and just wanted to go home and go to bed. But his mind was ravaged with thoughts about the tall, sandy brown haired man who he had met earlier. Something about him just stayed with Jinho, something about the way he looked at him and spoke to him like he actually cared about what Jinho had to say made him intriguing. Hongseok was nice to Jinho and they had gotten to know one another and each other’s humor, but Jinho still felt like Hongseok didn’t understand him and didn’t make a full effort in his interests. Of course, Jinho didn’t exactly do that either, but he tried his best. With Shinwon, though, it felt like it came naturally. That he didn’t even really have to try. He smiled to himself softly, trying not to get distracted since he was driving. Once he got back to his apartment, he texted Hongseok and told him to be careful tonight and not to do anything stupid. He told him he left the keys in the plant by his door for whenever he came to get his car tomorrow and then walked inside. He changed clothes and sighed, falling into his bed and smiled a bit. Tonight didn’t go exactly as he planned, but he was happy with it.   
  
  


* * *

  
  
After that next morning, Jinho didn’t hear much from Hongseok. He didn’t know if it was maybe because he was busy or if something happened that night. He was worried about his friend, texting him every other day asking if he was okay. They didn’t hang out every day or even every couple of days, but they always made sure to check up on one another when they had the chance. Jinho had gone to Hongseok’s house, but he wasn’t home. He sighed and decided that he was okay and he would come to him when he was ready. Jinho hadn’t ever really paid attention to it before, but when he hadn’t talked to Hongseok, he felt lonely. He wasn’t used to this feeling. He never had a friend like Hongseok who he talked to all of the time and made him feel like he was cared about. He sighed as he stood at the counter, drifting off into his thoughts.    
  
“Excuse me, can I order?” Someone’s voice took Jinho out of his thoughts and he caught himself before he knocked something over. The familiar laugh sent him back into reality and he looked over at his friend. He laughed a bit as he saw Hongseok standing at the counter.    
“Nice of you to let me know you’re okay, jerk.” Jinho said half joking, but also being serious. “I was worried. I haven’t heard from you in like a week. What’s been going on?” He got the order ready, already knowing what Hongseok wanted. The taller boy sighed, running a hand through his long hair, shrugging.    
“I just.. something happened at the party after you left and it kind of left me baffled, so I’ve been staying to myself a lot.” He said honestly. Jinho frowned and furrowed his eyebrows. He slid the coffee cup to Hongseok, telling him it was on the house before leaning against the counter. They weren’t busy, so he could talk to Hongseok right now.    
“What happened at the party?” He asked, now worried about his friend more than he was before. “You remember that guy I introduced you to? Yuto?” Jinho tried to think back and he remembered the intimidating boy who had a soft side and then gave Hongseok a nod.    
“Well… He and I kind of..” He trailed off and took a large gulp of the hot coffee, letting it slide down his throat before he let out a groan. “We had sex.” He whispered to him and Jinho’s eyes widened.    
“Y-You what?” Hongseok laughed a bit and looked down at the counter.    
“You heard me right, we had sex.” Jinho couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He told his boss he was taking a break before walking around the counter, grabbing Hongseok’s hand, and sitting them down in a booth.    
  
“Alright I don’t even know how to unpack this. Were you both drunk?” Jinho asked softly, making sure that the one other customer didn’t hear him.    
“Neither of us were drunk, sure we were a little tipsy but not drunk.” Hongseok explained and sighed. “Basically what happened..” He paused and leaned his head back for a moment before looking back to Jinho. “Yuto and I have been friends for a while. We stayed in the same fraternity for a while and he didn’t really talk at first. One night, we were the only two awake and we started to talk and it turns out we were both gay, well the only two that were out I should say. Anyways, last night.. We just started hanging out, he started to be clingy on me and I kissed him. He told me that he had been waiting for that for a long time and that he wanted more than that, so….. we had sex in his car. That’s about all there is to it. But now, I’m scared that he isn’t going to want to be anything with me or that’s all he wanted. And you know me, usually I’m a social butterfly with no problem telling people what’s happening and how I feel but this….. this is a whole different level.” He sighed shakily. “I’m worried that our friendship is ruined now and he doesn’t want anything other than that.” He frowned, looking down at his lap and then back up at Jinho. “What should I do?” He asked his older friend. Hongseok never really talked to Jinho like this, and it was a bit surprising. They had told each other things, but Hongseok never spilled his guts to Jinho like this or even showed true emotions to him before, so Jinho was taken back.    
  
“First of all, calm down, take a breather. Everything is going to be okay.” Jinho said softly and calmly before continuing what he had to say. “You never told me you were gay. I kind of assumed, since girls throw themselves at you and you don’t take them up on it, but it makes sense now. There’s nothing wrong with hooking up with someone, but if you think that’s all it was, then just flat out ask Yuto. Ask him if it was a one time thing. I don’t know him, you know him better than I do, but he seems like a nice guy and I’m sure he will be honest. Maybe he likes you too and he wants to be more than friends with you. You just have to talk to people you know? It’s hard, trust me, I know. But sometimes that’s your best option.” Jinho smiled, not really sure what else to tell him.    
  
“You’re right I mean, there isn’t anything else to do then to just hit it head on and hope for the best. I’m sure it wasn’t just a one time thing since he seems to kind of like me too, but I’m scared to ask.” Hongseok paused. “I guess I’ll just ask him, and tell him how I feel about it. Hopefully it doesn’t put a wedge in our relationship.” Hongseok sighs softly, and Jinho felt bad. He didn’t know that feeling and he wasn’t sure he ever would. He felt bad for him, and wished there was more he could do, but this was something that Hongseok had to do himself. “Thanks for listening. You’re a good friend.” He smiled at the older boy and Jinho smiled back.    
“Of course, don’t even mention it.”    
  
“You know what I will mention though?” Hongseok sat up, seeming to perk up almost immediately, like he had just thought of something and wanted to tell him right away.    
“What?” Jinho asked a little bit worried at his sudden change in mood so quickly, but then again, Hongseok never dwelled on his own emotions for too long anyways.    
“The other night, you and Shinwon talked a little, didn’t you?” Jinho smiled a bit at the mention of the sandy haired boy he talked to that night. He nodded and crossed his arms over the table as he leaned forward.    
“Yeah, what about it? It was a small harmless conversation.” Jinho shrugged.    
“That’s not what I heard.” Hongseok said a little sing songy and Jinho looked at him clearly confused.    
“What do you mean?” The older boy was clearly confused.    
“Shinwon was upset that you left the party that night. He planned on coming back and talking to you but you had left before he got a chance. He asked me for your number yesterday, but I told him that he should come in here and ask for it himself.” Jinho blushed at the thought of Shinwon making the initiative to ask for his number. “I’m assuming he didn’t since you’re blushing so hard?” The younger boy laughed, shaking his head.    
“That’s… Yeah he hasn’t come in here.” Jinho says softly and sighs softly. “Maybe he was just kidding.” Jinho didn’t mean to sound so disappointed, but Hongseok knew that he was immediately.    
“Hey man, it’s okay. Shinwon isn’t like that. He doesn’t just say he is going to do something and not do it.” Hongseok tried to reassure Jinho, but he already felt bad about it. He smiled sadly and nodded.    
“That’s okay.” He stood up slowly and fixed his apron. “I have to get back to work, though. Just talk to Yuto about what happened, tell him how you feel, and I’m sure he will understand. He seems like a reasonable guy. Just don’t get too in your head about it.” He ruffled Hongseok’s hair, earning a groan from him as he stood up with his coffee.    
“Alright, thanks for listening and being so understanding. And don’t like this Shinwon thing bother you. He’ll show up, and if he doesn’t, I’ll talk to him.” Jinho didn’t want to argue, so he nodded and smiled at him.    
“Thanks man, I appreciate it.” Hongseok patted his shoulder before walking out of the shop and to his car to finish with his errands for the day.    
  


* * *

  
Jinho spent the next couple of hours sitting at the counter, writing down some lyrics that he had been thinking about. They weren’t very busy today which was surprising since it was Saturday and a lot of kids came here to study instead of the library. He never understood why, though. He wanted to go home so badly, he felt tired and honestly, a little disappointed. He almost wished that Hongseok wouldn’t have told him about Shinwon asking about him and planned on coming to talk to him here. It only made his longing for a new friendship with the taller boy worse. He sighed once the shift was over and he headed back to his house. His apartment was quiet, per usual. Normally, he liked the silence, but now his head was running with thoughts.    
  
Jinho wasn’t one to let himself get to a place that his mind completely took over to a point where he wasn’t able to control it. But here he was, laying in his bed, letting his mind run free. He sat there, lonely, wondering how he had let himself get to this point. Why did he let himself fall into this place of having no friends? His only friend was someone who he had nothing in common with. How had he made it through college without any real friends? Friends that he could hang out with, call when he was stressed, hug when he needed reassurance he was doing his best. Why had he gotten to the point where he was so content with being by himself, that he never even longed for friends until this moment? Maybe Hongseok wasn’t his best friend, but that was all he had at the moment. But talking to Shinwon, for the brief moment of time that he did, it made him feel like someone was interested. Someone wanted to be his friend. But then the bad thoughts hit again. What if he was just being nice? What if he wasn’t being genuine and just asked because Jinho looked lost at the party? He sighed and rolled onto his side, staring at his cell phone.    
“Maybe I could just get someone to show me some fake attention.” He mumbled to himself. He was tired for no particular reason and his mind was running so free already, that he didn’t even think twice. He opened up his twitter and tweeted what was on his mind.    
“I’m looking for someone to hold my hand and give me attention. Serious inquiries only, I am 100% serious.” He tweeted it without another thought, and plugged his phone up before closing his eyes and finally drifting off to sleep.    
  
The next morning, he woke up and didn’t bother checking his phone. He took a shower, drove to work, and began his day the same way he always did. A couple hours went by and the front door opened, and when he looked up, he almost choked on his own breath. There he was. There was the man that had been filling his thoughts for the last week. He was surprised to see him, and honestly he didn’t know if it was a mere coincidence of if Hongseok had said something to him anyways. He didn’t have time to think anymore about it before the taller boy approached the counter.    
“Hey Jinho! Hongseok told me you’d be here.” He smiled, not feeling a bit of shame for having asked Hongseok where the man worked. “Sorry that sounds a little creepy I just uh, wanted to see you again.” He slid his hands into his pockets and smiled a bright smile in the older boys direction. “You remember me right?”    
  
_ Remember you? You’re all I’ve been thinking about. _ _   
  
_

“Of course I remember you, Shinwon.” Jinho smiled softly. “You were so kind to me at that party even though I made a fool of myself.”    
Shinwon shook his head and smiled at him.    
“You didn’t make a fool of yourself, it was just a shame you left so early. I wanted to talk to you some more.” He sounded sincere in the way he said it and Jinho could have melted into a puddle right there.    
“Really?” Jinho asked, a little dumbfounded.    
“Yeah, why wouldn’t I?” Shinwon sat at a chair at the counter, looking over at the smaller boy.    
“I don’t know, I just… I’m used to people not taking a lot of interest in me so they don’t talk to me a lot.” Jinho shrugged a bit and sighed. “Most of the time I stay to myself to avoid that awkward talk, you know?” Shinwon nodded slowly and looked at the older boy.    
“Well I don’t know much about you, but I’d like to. You seem interesting to me. We could be friends, if you wanted.” He paused and thought about it he should say this, but he did it anyway. “I could hold your hand if you wanted too,  **a little favor** you could call it.”    
  
Jinho froze up at that. Was he just saying that? Did he see Jinho’s tweet? And if he saw his tweet, did he follow him and see all the pathetic tweets he made? Did Hongseok rat out his twitter? Did Hongseok show him what he said? He wasn’t sure and his head seemed to be spinning. He wanted to scream at the top of his lungs. He wanted to scream yes, that he wanted nothing more than to hold Shinwon’s hand, but he composed himself. He didn’t want him to leave as soon as he started to open up to him. Jinho just smiled at Shinwon and he nodded slowly.    
“I’d like that. I will tell you, I’m a little shy and it’s hard for me to talk to people sometimes.” He said shyly, biting at the inside of his cheek. “And the hand holding thing.. that’s… that’s just a joke, you don’t have to do that.”  _   
_ _   
_ _ But I really, really want you to. Please, God, hold my hand.  _ _   
_ _   
_ Shinwon smiled at the older boy and he laughed softly. “That’s okay, I can help you out with that. And I don’t mind holding your hand. There’s nothing wrong with two friends, holding hands, right?” He had such a smooth way of saying things, they rolled off his tongue so swiftly and Jinho admired that about him already.    
“Right.” Jinho just said softly, trying so hard to contain his blush.    
Shinwon reached over, grabbing a pen from Jinho’s pocket and a napkin, swiftly writing his number down and handing it over to Jinho.    
“Here’s my number. I don’t want to keep you from work, just text me whenever you’re free next and we can hang out, okay?” He smiled and slid the pen back into the older’s pocket.    
Jinho smiled and he nodded, giving him a thumb’s up instead of saying anything. Shinwon didn’t seem to mind, he just smiled and got up, walking back out.    
  
Jinho was dumbfounded. He couldn’t believe what just happened. He didn’t think someone could be so smooth, so swift in their words and actions, but here comes Ko Shinwon, waltzing his way right into Jinho’s heart. Jinho didn’t want to get his hopes up or anything, but he was excited to start hanging out with Shinwon and getting to know him more. Even more so, he had someone who could hold his hand platonically and it would be okay. He felt his heart jump and he needed to calm down, but he was so excited.    
  


* * *

  
The next few months seemed to fly by without Jinho noticing because he had been happier than he could have imagined. After that day Shinwon came into the coffee shop, they ended up spending every free moment that Jinho had together. He ended up quitting his bartending job at night. He didn’t need it, and quite honestly, he was excited to spend more time with Shinwon and Hongseok when he was free. Hongseok and Yuto talked about their situation and they were together now. Jinho was happy for his friend and he liked Yuto. He had gotten to know him a lot more and now, the four of them would hang out together whenever possible. Jinho had grown very fond of his new group of friends, especially Shinwon. 

He liked the way he made him feel. In the last few months, they had grown very close. They opened up to one another more than Jinho would have ever thought he could do. He trusted Shinwon so much and he felt comfortable around him. He felt like he could be himself around him, and he didn’t have to worry about saying anything wrong. They helped each other out a lot in different things, the biggest one was Shinwon helping Jinho with his shy nature and his self confidence. Shinwon made Jinho feel better about himself, helped him come out of his shell, and just enjoy life all in all. What did Jinho enjoy most of all though? That small little favor that Shinwon promised him. They held hands all of the time. They held hands whenever they hung out, even if they needed both of their hands, they’d make it work. Shinwon initiated it all of the time, Jinho just letting him. It was like Shinwon could sense when Jinho needed it, because he didn’t have to ask anymore. Jinho was so happy. He was a bit skeptical, though.    
  
You see, Jinho had caught feelings for Shinwon. It happened quickly, and he fell even faster than that. He cared for Shinwon in a way that he didn’t know he could care about someone. He felt like Shinwon was his person. When he wasn’t around, Jinho longed for him. When they hadn’t talked all day, Jinho felt as though he could cry. Maybe he was clingy, but he had never felt that way about someone ever. Shinwon made him feel like he was flying, he made him laugh, but most of all, he made him feel important, made him feel loved. Jinho had no idea if Shinwon was gay, bisexual, straight, or anything else. They had talked about a lot in the months they’ve been friends, but Jinho never thought to ask. Shinwon knew Jinho was gay, that slipped out in a heated conversation about their pasts. But Shinwon didn’t say. That worried Jinho because what if he was falling for a straight man? What if he was falling for someone straight and it broke his little heart into pieces thinking about it. He shook the thought away and just enjoyed the time he spent with Shinwon.    
  
One day when Shinwon was busy and Jinho had a day off, he decided he would hang out with Hongseok and his friend Hui. They hadn’t hung out much, but he knew he was a music lover and wrote his own songs too, so he thought highly of him already. They were hanging out in Hui’s apartment, just talking about whatever crossed their minds and Hui was actually the first to speak about the situation.    
“So, are you and Shinwon dating yet?” He asked nonchalantly, like it wasn’t a big deal and didn’t mean anything. But Jinho’s face turned beet red and Hongseok smacked Hui on the arm. “What? They’re always together and look like lovesick puppies whenever they look at each other. Everybody was wondering about it. I figured I’d be the one to ask. So?” He turned his attention back to Jinho and he cleared his throat to try and get himself back on track.    
“It isn’t like that... We’re just friends who hang out and hold hands. Two guys can hold hands without being together.” He shrugged it off.    
“Yeah that’s true,” Hui starts, “But it turns into something else when they stare at one another like they’re in love and when Shinwon talks about you like you put the stars in the night sky.” Hui wasn’t going to say anything, but it had already slipped out.    
“W-What?” Jinho asked almost in shock that Shinwon talked about him so much.    
“Yeah, Mister Ko is completely whipped for you. He told me not to tell you, but both of you aren’t blunt enough to say anything so.” Hui shrugged and laughed seeing Jinho’s reaction.    
“Is he even gay?” Jinho asked and crossed his arms. “He’s never said anything to me about it before and I wouldn’t want to come onto him if he wasn’t.” Hui began to laugh and after a second, Hongseok joined in, laughing like they had just heard the funniest joke of their lives.    
“Shinwon is the fruitiest guy I’ve ever met, but he hides it well. He is very much homosexual.” Hongseok says seriously.    
“You should ask him.” Hui suggests, and Jinho quickly shakes his head no.    
“I couldn’t.” Hongseok rolls his eyes and laughs at his friend.    
“It’ll come out, don’t worry.”    
After that, there wasn’t anymore talk about the subject, but Jinho’s head was spinning as he thought about it and thought about what they said. Did Shinwon actually talk to him about them like that? Did he like him more than a friend? Could they be anything more? Jinho didn’t know but he didn’t think he could be the one to initiate it.   
  


* * *

  
The next night, Shinwon and Jinho were at Jinho’s apartment, sitting on his bed watching a movie. Jinho’s mind was racing with the conversation with Hui and Hongseok yesterday. What if they were joking? What if they were messing with him? They wouldn’t do that, would they? They wouldn’t put all those thoughts into his mind? What if he said something and none of it was true and he messed everything up? He didn’t realize how deep he was into his thoughts, and how on edge he was because he started to squeeze Shinwon’s hand a little too tight.   
  
“Hey, Jinho, ease up.” He says softly, noticing how zoned out Jinho looked. He snapped back and looked at Shinwon, then down at their hands, completely pulling away from Shinwon.   
“Sorry, sorry.. I just.. got lost in thought. Sorry if I hurt your hand.” Jinho gently rubbed over Shinwon’s knuckles and looked up at him apologetically.   
“What were you thinking about?” Shinwon asked softly, taking Jinho’s hand again, knowing that always calmed him down when he was upset.   
“Uhm..” Jinho stuttered a little, trying to think of how to tell him. “Well, someone told me something and it’s been on my mind all day.”   
Shinwon let out a soft chuckle and nodded.   
“That was very clear, thank you, I can now understand everything.” Shinwon said sarcastically, to which Jinho smacked his chest softly.   
“Hey, don’t be a smartass.” He pouted, which made Shinwon’s heart melt. Jinho was so cute to him.   
“I’m sorry, but you do need to be a little more specific.” Before Shinwon could say anything else, he sat up fully and looked into Shinwon’s eyes.   
“Are you gay?” He asked seriously. Shinwon was a bit taken back by the words sliding off his tongue so clearly and smoothly.   
“Have you really not figured that out yet? Of course I am.” Shinwon laughed, looking over at Jinho. The smaller boy let out a sigh of relief, and nodded.   
“Oh thank God.” He laughed a bit and Shinwon raised an eyebrow.   
“That’s what’s had you in your head for the last two hours?” He asked curiously, and not fully convinced.   
“Well, not completely, but that was a big part of it.” Jinho wasn’t lying, but Shinwon wasn’t believing it completely.   
“What else were you thinking about then?” He was serious, curious, and honestly a little worried.   
Jinho paused and wondered what he should say. Should he be honest and tell him that he heard something from Hui? Should he tell him that Hui basically said Shinwon had feelings for him and wasn’t quiet about it? Or should he make something up? Should he leave him hanging? No that would be rude. What should he do? Before he could make another thought, Shinwon yanked him a little bit.   
  
“I think I know.” Shinwon said seriously, sitting up to look Jinho right in his eyes. “I know you were with Hui and Hongseok the other day. Hui doesn’t know how to keep his mouth shut, and I’m assuming he told you I was gay. I also assume he told you how I talk about you all the time to him, like you’re the greatest person I’ve ever met because honestly, I think you are. Hui probably told you that I have feelings for you and I don’t just want to be your friend that holds your hand. I want to be your boyfriend who holds your hand. I want to be your boyfriend who spends the night with you, who gets to hold you at night, who gets to kiss your forehead and hug you whenever I want to. I want to be that boyfriend that you can come to whenever you need me. I want to be your boyfriend.” Shinwon paused and took a breath. “And if that isn’t what the problem was, well, at least now you know.” He finished with a swift breath, not stuttering one time. He sounded a hundred percent serious, not a trace of joking in his voice, complete sincerity spilling through his lips.   
  
Jinho was dumbfounded and he didn’t know what to say. He just stared at Shinwon for a moment, eyes widened and mouth hanging open slightly. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Was this serious? Was he being genuine? Did Shinwon really want to be with him? Did he actually want to be his boyfriend? Jinho’s head was spinning and he could only mutter out one little word.   
  
“Really?”   
  
Shinwon smiled at the nervous, shy Jinho that he had come to care about and cherish. He smiled, rubbing his thumb over Jinho’s knuckles.   
  
“Really. A hundred percent I mean it. I care about you so much and I’d love to be able to call you mine if you’ll let me.” Shinwon smiled, voice like honey filling Jinho’s ears and his heart growing increasingly fonder of the younger boy in front of him.   
  
“Of course I want that, I’d love that, actually.” Shinwon’s smile couldn’t have gotten brighter when he heard those words from Jinho.   
  
Shinwon jumped up a little bit, pulling Jinho into him into a tight hug. He held the smaller boy in his arms for a long time, just letting him rest against him.   
“You have no idea how happy that makes me.” Jinho felt his heart beating out of his chest in the best way and he smiled.   
“You make me so happy.” Jinho said softly and Shinwon pulled back.   
  
Shinwon paused for a moment and stared at Jinho. He leaned forward and placed a soft, gentle kiss against Jinho’s lips, which sent a chill down Jinho’s spine. Shinwon’s lips were so soft and delicate, and he felt like he was flying. When they pulled away, Jinho smiled and laid his head against Shinwon’s.   
  
“Who knew a **little favor** could turn into this?” Jinho smiled brightly to his now boyfriend, Shinwon. The younger smiled and just brought him into his arms again. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for reading! I hope you all enjoy this! I like the idea of Shinwon + Jinho, especially after Shinwon's post on Twitter today about Jinho (you all should check it out @CUBE_PTG)! Anyways thank you for reading! Please leave me some comments on what you thought <3


End file.
